Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame: Episode 3
by TommyOliverMMPRFan
Summary: The third installment in this controversy series. In this episode, we look at why you can't blame Jason Scott for Tommy being deprived of his Green Ranger powers.
1. 1: The Best of the Rest

A/N: Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Disney, and T5RYCB and Brian Kenny belong to ESPN. In this episode...the controversy involves Jason Scott failing to retrieve the Green Candle to save Tommy's powers.

T5RYCB Ranger Series Episode 3, Ch. 1

(Show comes on the air and music starts playing)

"I'm going back in after the candle!" shouts Jason Scott.

"_Coming up on the Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame_..." says Brian Kenny.

"That was...the one battle where Rita can truly brag about winning, because she, for the most part, accomplished her goals," said Kimberly Hart.

"Jason...struggled for quite a bit after that fight for not foiling Rita's plan in the first place," said Billy Cranston.

"The Green Candle...man, those three words together...still give me nightmares," said Jason Scott. "I still have regrets about that failed mission today."

(Montage of Ranger moments starts playing, as does the show's theme, and the logo appears, followed by Brian Kenny himself)

"_Hello again everyone, I'm Brian Kenny, and welcome to the second edition of the Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame-Ranger Series…a series that takes a fresh look at Power Ranger topics and controversies which have been largely popular since the show started in 1993. Our mission is not to vilify the subjects of these controversies, simply to take a look at the positive side of what they did. You will hear evidence and testimony from any and all characters. All you need is an open mind. In this show, we will take a look at what ended up as a failed mission for the Power Rangers, and stripped Tommy Oliver of his Green Ranger powers. We're going to count down the top 5 reasons you can't blame Jason Scott for not retrieving the Green Candle in time to save this famous Ranger's first tenure. But first, let's go into some background details regarding this mission, and take a look at the evidence against the first Ranger leader."_

(The tape rolls, and the infamous Green Candle and the Green Ranger appear, side by side)

"Tommy...was, by this time, becoming an invaluable sixth man for us. We knew if the Megazord was in trouble, we had Tommy to back us up," said Jason Scott. "With Titanus, we could use Megazord and Dragonzord to form Ultrazord if things got really bad. It was a great time for us."

"He, all by himself, spoiled many of Rita's plans...some of her better ones, actually," says Scorpina, trusty boomerang on her lap. "I don't think it's fair what she did to him with that candle, but it's what she did. She took the low way out instead of trying to beat him in a fair fight."

"Rita knew she couldn't beat the Rangers unless the Green Ranger was out of her way, and she began to realize early she couldn't beat him in combat...and it was equally difficult to crack his mental state," said Goldar. "So, we had no choice but to use our secret weapon."

"_And so it was that just a short while after Tommy joined the Ranger team that Rita pulled out that secret weapon...the Green Candle._"

"It was, to be succinct," said Scorpina, "a candle made from a different kind of wax, and under certain circumstances, it could deprive a Ranger, such as Tommy, of his powers. Not only that, if Rita had been successful, she'd have owned the Green powers for herself."

"_When Rita's plan started to take shape, the Green Ranger was with Kimberly when Goldar and a platoon of Putties attacked. Tommy was sent to Rita's dark dimension, where he was given a choice_."

"If you serve Rita, you can keep your powers!" says Goldar during the episode. "If not, you'll lose them when the Candle burns out!"

"My blood went cold," says Tommy. "I'm like...how can Rita do this to me?"

"_Tommy did eventually escape that dimension by using Goldar's own sword. When the dust settled, and the Rangers had been briefed, it was Jason who was chosen to go in, retrieve the candle, and save Tommy._"

"I was able to at least have a chance because Billy had a Portalcom device which allowed me access to where the Candle was being kept," says Jason Scott. "When I got in there, I knew Goldar would be waiting on me, as Tommy had said that's who had held him prisoner."

"_Most of the current Rangers at the time are on record as saying they had full trust in their leader_."

"There's no one I would have trusted more than Jason to get it done," said Kimberly. "He was our leader, and our inspiration."

"_But when Jason arrived, the battle almost immediately went south for Jason._"

"I made mistake after mistake in that fight," said Jason. "I should have attacked with some urgency in my actions. I tried to dance around Goldar and get the candle that way, but I should have attacked right from the start."

"I also should have gone in there morphed, or I should have tried to morph while I was in there," said Jason. "I may have had a better chance at Goldar with enhanced powers."

"_Eventually, Jason was forced to turn back in a last-ditch effort to save Tommy from Rita's newest monster, and thus, left the Green Candle to burn out and Tommy out in the cold._"

"He had his chance," said Goldar. "Had the situation been reversed and had he failed to protect the candle, Rita would have destroyed him. But because he worked for that fool Zordon, he was allowed to remain on the team as the leader even though he failed to protect his own friend."

"We were shocked when he didn't get the candle," said Trini. "If there's one person I know of who could have done it, it was Jason. It's stayed with him for a long time."

"I didn't know Jason a whole lot before he came back as the Gold Ranger," said Adam Park, "but in the time I knew him, I admired his leadership skills...in some ways he was better than Tommy as a field general. From what I know of the situation, it does shock me that he wasn't able to get past Goldar and get the candle."

"We were all disappointed," said Billy. "Tommy and Jason are best friends, so naturally they forgave each other, but we were pretty disappointed after that. The void of not having Tommy was huge."

(The Green Candle and Green Ranger are shown again as the tape ends)

"_Now you have the _evidence_ against Jason Scott...everything pointing to him as to why Tommy's Green powers were in danger in the first place. Before we count down the top 5 reasons you can't blame him, here are some that did not make the cut. We call them the Best of the Rest_."

(A picture of Rita's Dark Dimension is shown as the tape rolls)

"_Rita's Home Turf_," said Brian Kenny.

"One of the major differences with this fight that needs to be understood," said Scorpina, "is that this fight was on Rita's home turf...in her Dark Dimension. Angel Grove may have been the Rangers' home environment, but we held a pretty good advantage in the Dark Dimension."

"_Indeed, that arena became a house of horrors for the Rangers almost immediately after they were enlisted to fight Rita_."

"Tommy warped Jason to that dimension to fight Goldar," said Scorpina, "and then he later had to face Tommy himself. It's where Rita likes to keep prisoners, and there's almost no way out of the place except if someone in the Command Center could teleport that prisoner out...like what first happened when Jason first came to the Dark Dimension."

"Now, Jason is back, and he still has the creeps about the place. I wouldn't have blamed him."

"I got chills when Goldar transported me there that first time," said Tommy. "It scares you...it's like you're being thrown into the arena with the wolves...worse yet, I was without powers."

"_Another Best of the Rest: Resiliency. It was Rita's plan to keep Tommy locked up in the Dark Dimension for all time and make Tommy watch as his fate was sealed. But Tommy had other plans_."

"I wouldn't have even had the chance to get the candle had Tommy not escaped with his resiliency," said Jason. "He told me later he actually managed to escape using the technique that Goldar uses to transport from place to place. Had he not done that...we probably never see Tommy again."

"It was my only chance...and it was the team's only chance to save me," said Tommy, with tears in his eyes, "and fortunately, I found a way out when Goldar was doing his usual bravado."

"Rita did tell me later that she really wanted to torture Tommy in that Dark Dimension, and Goldar certainly would have taken pleasure in torturing him," said Scorpina. "But...typical Tommy...he escaped and gave Jason the chance."

(Music plays as tape ends)

"_Coming up next, we'll begin our countdown_," said Brian Kenny, "_and we'll explain how Rita's Cyclops monster played a part in Tommy's demise_."

"Rita's monster," said Trini, "was one of her better monsters. It kept us looking over our shoulder and worrying about what it might do to the city at a time when we should have had our full focus on Tommy."

(Music plays as segment ends)

TBC...


	2. 2: Shortened Time and Cyclops

A/N: You know the drill...Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Disney, and T5RYCB and Brian Kenny belong to ESPN

Reasons 4 and 5: Cyclops and Shortened Time

(Show returns from commercial break)

"_Welcome back_," said Brian Kenny. "_You've seen the evidence against Jason Scott, and some reasons that did not make our list. That said, let's get to our countdown. Here is Reason #5_."

(The tape rolls, and a ticking clock appears)

"_Shortened Time_," said Brian Kenny. "_Unlike most Ranger missions by the Morphin team, the Rangers not only had to deal with a potential monster attack, but they also had to deal with a time limit_."

"You know, that mission was one of the weirdest missions we've ever had," said Billy Cranston, "because not only did we have to deal with the possibility that Rita could send her never-ending supply of monsters to Earth, we also had to deal with the strong possibility of time being a problem."

"We had a time limit that time," said Trini, "and that was when that candle burnt out. If we didn't get that candle before it burnt out, then it was quite simple...Tommy would lose his powers to Rita."

"_Thus, with the Rangers working on a shortened turnaround time from Tommy's capture, as well as not knowing what status the candle was at, the mission turned out to be a very difficult one_."

"Most missions that we had," said Tommy Oliver, "involved going to a certain spot, fighting a monster, and doing what it took to win without time really being a problem. This time...it did turn out to be a really big problem."

"_Time, according to Ranger leader Jason Scott, also played a major factor even when Jason was able to enter into Rita's Dark Dimension...as he had to fight not only Goldar, but also the clock_."

"When I got in there," said Jason, "I could see the candle was nearing its end, and so I had to not only try to get around Goldar, but I had to battle time too. When you're working on a time limit...on the other guy's home turf...I'd like to win every battle, but you have to admit, those are pretty tall odds to overcome."

"_Indeed, Rita's forces believed that time played an invaluable factor in what they consider, in some ways, a victory in that fight_."

"Time was not an alibi for our forces very often," said Goldar, "but it certainly did work in our favor in this case. By the time Jason got there, the candle was almost out. All I'd have needed to do was simply stall Jason."

(Clock is shown again as tape ends)

"_Did that reason grab you_?" said Brian Kenny. "_If not, there's plenty of time left. Here is Reason #4_."

(Tape rolls again, and Rita's Cyclops monster is shown)

"_Rita's Latest Monster_," said Brian Kenny.

"What some of you need to understand," said Kimberly, "is that this monster of Rita's was not some chump off the scrap heap like some of the others we had faced. This monster was fully capable of destroying ALL of us."

"_Indeed, Rita's Cyclops mosnter posed a dangerous threat...the biggest of the threats being that he had the potential to change into any one of the Rangers' Zords_."

"He, in my honest opinion," said Rita, "was the difference between victory and defeat. Were it not for my Cyclops monster, Tommy would probably still be the Green Ranger, even today!"

"When he posed as Dragonzord," said Jason, "he hnadled all five of us with ease. It wasn't until Tommy arrived with the real Dragonzord that we finally pushed him back and forced him to retreat."

"_It also gave the Rangers all something to think about, at a time when they feel their focus should have been entirely on saving Tommy_."

"I mean, not only did we have to think about saving Tommy," said Zack, "we also had to be cognizant that Rita could send this idiot who could pose as any one of our Zords...and attack Angel Grove with that firepower!"

"It was a really tough situation," said Kimberly. "I mean, we all love Tommy, but we couldn't be in two places at once! Jason had the only ground Zord of our fleet, and he was also the one who was the most experienced in the Dark Dimension!"

"Of all the times for Rita to send a tough monster, this was a most unfortunate time," said Kimberly.

"_Cyclops proved to be an even bigger boon to Rita's forces when he matched up against Tommy one-on-one later_," said Brian Kenny.

"So, it went like this...almost immediately after the guys left to try to get the candle, Rita's monster attacks," said Tommy. "I handled him all right for a while in an effort to let the guys focus on what they needed to be doing."

"The problem," said Tommy, "was that he just kept throwing me off balance with everything he could do. I was quickly overmatched...and my friends were called, and we had to form Ultrazord to destroy him."

"It was sad...but Rita's monster really did force us out of that mission," said Jason. "He was good enough to destroy us all...and we knew it."

(Cyclops monster is shown as tape ends)

"_Coming up_," said Brian Kenny, "_we'll continue our countdown, and we'll look at the redemption factor within our countdown_."

"There was a very similar mission that I had to undertake afer Zedd took over," said Jason, "which gave me the chance for some redemption..."

(Music plays as segment ends)

TBC...


	3. 3: Redemption and Power Transfer

A/N: Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Disney, and T5RYCB and Brian Kenny belong to ESPN

Reasons 2 and 3: Redemption and Power Transfer

(Show returns from commercial break)

"_We're counting down the Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Jason Scott for not retrieving the Green Candle in time to save Tommy Oliver's powers_," said Brian Kenny.

"_Welcome back_," said Brian Kenny. "_We've given you Reasons 4 and 5 why Jason Scott doesn't deserve blame, and with that said, here is Reason #3_."

(A picture of Tommy's Power Coin securely in Jason's hands is shown)

"_The Power Transfer_," said Brian Kenny. "_No, not the one where the three teenagers from Stone Canyon became Rangers themselves. This power transfer kept Tommy's powers on the side of light, and gave Jason control over them_."

"Basically, after the candle had gone out," said Kimberly, "Zordon laid out the situation for us."

"I BASICALLY TOLD THEM," said Zordon, "THAT THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP RITA FROM STEALING TOMMY'S POWER WAS TO TRANSFER IT TO ANOTHER RANGER. TOMMY CHOSE JASON, AND SO IT WAS DONE."

"To this DAY, I still can't believe that power wasn't mine!" said Rita. "That was just like Tommy...got it done just in the nick of time, once again denying me victory!"

"It was a way," Trini Kwan said, "to keep Rita from stealing Tommy's powers unjustly. It was pretty lame for her to deprive him of his power through a candle, but it's even worse that she might have had Tommy's power for herself."

"That would have been extremely devastating if Rita had Tommy's power as well as her own," said Kimberly. "She would have been near unstoppable."

"That transfer," said Tommy, "may well have saved the Power Rangers in the first place. I couldn't imagine Rita with her own powers as well as mine. If she'd had Cyclopsis as well as my powers, we wouldn't have had a chance."

"You can't blame Jason," said Scorpina, "because Tommy entrusted him with his own power in the first place. If Tommy hadn't had that trust in Jason, he'd never have given him that power coin and that power would have belonged to my mistress."

(The transfer is shown again as the tape ends)

"_We've got three down, and two more to go_," said Brian Kenny. "_Here is Reason #2_."

(A picture of Zedd and Jason, side by side, then appears)

"_Redemption_," said Brian Kenny. "_Shortly after Lord Zedd arrived on the moon and banished his future wife to her dumpster, he was successful in draining the Green Ranger's power for good. After that, he began focusing his efforts on the remaining five Rangers_."

"We were en route to going to find Tommy," said Kimberly, "when all of a sudden, we get ambushed by Goldar, and we were taken to Zedd's dimensional prison."

"Zedd wanted to drain our powers, just like he had Tommy's," said Zack, "and he once again, wanted to leave Jason high and dry."

"_For that purpose_," said Brian Kenny, "_he used the remains of the Green Candle's wax to create four similar candles which had the same potential_."

"I was training for a competition which Tommy wanted me to win," said Jason, "and when I got the call from Zordon and found out what was happening, I was furious."

"I did have some advantages that time," said Jason, "and one was that Zedd's Pipe Brain monster was far less lethal than Cyclops was. I destroyed him in pretty much no time flat."

"If I'd have done it all over again," said Zedd, staff in hand, "I'd have looked for a much stronger monster to fight Jason. Pipe Brain did not put up much resistance, which gave Jason time he needed."

"_Eventually, Jason did get the last laugh, as he entered Zedd's dimensional prison, restored the Rangers' powers, and managed to escape himself_," said Brian Kenny.

"Zedd chose to underestimate Jason simply because he wanted to take advantage of Jason's attitude about Tommy not being there to help him," said Kimberly. "Jason's a strong person, and Zedd really did pick the wrong person to mess with."

"Jason's the last person you want to mess with when it's all on the line," said Tommy. "There's no one I'd rather have leading the team to battle when it's do or die. Zedd picked the wrong Ranger to mess with."

"That mission for Jason...was a redemption mission," said Trini. "It was his last major mission as Ranger leader, and he did a heck of a job to save us."

"It was a serious mistake by Lord Zedd to underestimate Jason's abilities," said Scorpina. "He's a strong-willed human, and he's a terrific leader. Just because he screwed up when Tommy lost his powers doesn't mean he'd do the same thing again. You can't blame Jason Scott...because he got the last laugh eventually."

(Picture of Zedd and Jason is shown again as the tape ends)

"_Coming up_," said Brian Kenny, "_we'll reveal our number one reason why you can't blame Jason Scott for not saving Tommy's Green Ranger powers_."

"While I lost my leadership role on that day," said Jason, "Tommy coming back as the White Ranger was like a 500-pound gorilla being lifted off my back. No one in the UAE could talk about how I failed to save Tommy anymore."

(Music plays as segment ends)

TBC...


	4. Reason 1: The White Ranger

A/N: Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Disney, and T5RYCB and Brian Kenny belong to ESPN

Reason #1-The White Ranger

(Show returns from commercial break)

"_We're counting down the Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Jason Scott for not retrieving the Green Candle in time to save Tommy_," said Brian Kenny. "_Before we get to our #1 reason, let's recap_."

"_Reason #5: Shortened Tome. While most Ranger missions did not involve time limits, this did_."

"_Reason #4: Cyclops Monster. This monster gave the Rangers all kinds of problems when their focus needed to be on Tommy_."

"_Reason #3: The Power Transfer. Tommy's power transfer to Jason kept these dangerous powers out of Rita's hands, causing little to no harm done_."

"_Reason #2: Redemption. Jason's mission to rescue the Rangers from Zedd's grasp some time later completely absolved him of many lingering self-doubt_."

"_Welcome back_," said Brian Kenny. "_We've gone through Reasons #5-2, and now comes the moment of truth. Here is Reason #1 why Jason Scott does not deserve any sort of blame_."

(Tape rolls, and a shot of the White Ranger with Saba is shown)

"_The White Ranger_," said Brian Kenny. "_With Tommy's surprising return as the new leader of the Rangers, whatever doubts Jason had about his ability left him, and he regained some of what made him great_."

"Tommy's arrival as new leader was significant for many reasons," said Billy. "While Jason was removed from his leadership duties, that was going to happen anyways with his departure for Switzerland later. What it did for him, though, was put him at ease about the whole bit that he'd let Tommy down."

"After Tommy came back," said Kimberly, "Jason became the Jason I knew and loved...aggressive, ready to take on anyone or anything. He took on Lipsyncher by himself in the fight which spoiled my date with Tommy."

"I've known Jason for forever," said Trini, "and yet, I could see it was time for some changes. Not only was Zedd becoming stronger with each passing battle, but Jason appeared to be wavering some in the leadership department. We had some brutal battles right before Tommy came back, including the one where he had to rescue all of us, where we barely survived."

"It allowed me to fight more aggressively, knowing that I didn't have to take so much responsibility," said Jason. "Not to mention the other various advantages it gave us...we had an additional battle machine, an additional Ranger to combat a very powerful opponent, and it gave me the ability to be...me."

"_There were also other inherent traits which Tommy posessed that Jason did not which pulled the Rangers out of many a trouble spot_," said Brian Kenny.

"One thing I remember about Jason," said Scorpina, "was that while he was a terrific fighter, he was far less effective than Tommy in pressure-packed situations. There were some situations where luck saved his rear...Billy got him out of the Dark Dimension just in time when he first faced Tommy, and Jason just happened to have his lucky blast land right on the Sword of Darkness right before he freed Tommy. In both battles, he got absolutely pounded."

"There were other very questionable decisions he made," continues Scorpina, "where he sent the Zords out against Cyclopsis after they had just been trashed. Those things were nearly outright crushed the second time he sent them out there. Tommy, while he was a few times reckless, never pressed an attack until it was time to do so. Tommy was also faster at diagnosing problems than Jason, and therefore could put a plan into action much, much faster."

"Tommy also had one inherent trait which Jason, simply, did not posess," said Adam. "He had the power of the human spirit on his side. Jason was more the serious battle general, while Tommy relied more on the power of his never-ending spirit. He spent a lot of time with his brother on the reservation towards the end of when we held our powers."

"He got a lot of his spirit from Kimberly, who always told him there was a way to make everything work," said Aisha. "Jason, unfortunately, really didn't have anyone, consistently, to fall back on when things went bad. He isolated himself quite a bit."

"The transfer of leadership from me to Tommy...helped me quite a bit, in more ways than one," said Jason.

(Picture of the White Ranger is shown as the tape ends)

"_Well, there you have it. The Top 5 Reasons you Can't Blame Jason Scott for Tommy's Green Ranger powers being harmed_," said Brian Kenny. "_Those who watch the show may blame Jason for the simple reason that the Green Ranger was a beloved figure, and the White Ranger was much more controversial. We hope we've been able to help you at least see both sides of the story. I'm Brian Kenny...until next time, thanks for watching_."

(Music plays and credits roll as show ends)

End

A/N 2: Next installment...the Top 5 Reasons you Can't Blame Andros for shattering Zordon's tube


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